U.S. Open: Johanna Konta wins third round after collapsing from heat in previous match

Johanna Konta with the backhand return against Belinda Bencic during their third round womens singles match on Day 5 of The US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016.
Photo Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan

On Wednesday afternoon Johanna Konta collapsed during her match with Tsvetana Pironkova, appearing to suffer problems with the heat and humidity. It looked as if her U.S. Open was over. After being attended to by a doctor and a trainer, being iced down and calmed down, she went on to win.

The 13th seed won again Friday, in less heat and humidity and with greater ease, defeating Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-1.

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While at first scary, Konta used the situation to find out something about herself. “I actually tried to look at it as a great opportunity to manage the situation that I had,” she said. “In every way, I think it was quite a traumatic experience. I’m just still working on getting better. I think the best I can do for myself is move on from it, and I felt I did that. I feel very lucky that I have got another chance to focus on the match I will have on Sunday.”

Surprise third rounder

His hands and legs cramping, his body on its very last ounce of energy, Paolo Lorenzi won his second-round match late Thursday night against Gilles Simon in five sets and four hours and 54 minutes, the longest match of the U.S. Open through the first four days.

Lorenzi is a most unlikely survivor, having never been to the third round of a Grand Slam before in 18 attempts. But that’s not his only first this year. At 34, the Italian won the first tournament of his career, becoming the oldest player to ever win an ATP event for the first time.

Lorenzi is the 40th ranked player in the world, and his victory at Kitzbuhel, Austria, this year was on clay, which is his best surface. Asked by Italian reporters after the match if it seemed odd that his greatest success in a Slam would be on the hardcourt of Flushing Meadows, Lorenzi responded: “Andre Agassi won his first Grand Slam on grass and he was a hardcourt player, so . . . ”

Attendance record

The U.S. Open set a single session and combined session attendance record on sunny, less humid day at the re-invented Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The 40,000 mark was broken for the first time when 40,280 fans were counted coming through the gates. The previous record was 38,780, set twice over the Labor Day weekend of 2014 on Saturday and Sunday. The night session also set a record of 25,006.